In less than a month, the Allegheny County Port Authority, which provides public transportation to Pittsburgh and surrounding areas, will vote on fare increases, service cuts and layoffs that will devastate poor and working people in the region. Due to inadequate local and state funding, the Port Authority is facing a $47.1 million budget shortfall.
 Transit cuts loom in Pittsburgh |
Under the proposed plan, public transportation users will face a 35 percent service reduction, which would cut all routes in 55 communities. Fares will be pushed above two dollars.
Riders aren’t the only ones affected by these outrageous measures; over 500 jobs are expected to be lost. Bus drivers and other Port Authority employees are organized by the Amalgamated Transit Union, which has won decent pay and benefits for its members. These union-busting layoffs will roll back many of the gains won over the years and constitute a direct assault on working-class people’s standard of living.
Many officials are trying to divide riders and workers by blaming the budget gaps on the cost of benefits paid to retirees. Others have blamed the decision not to make drivers pay a toll on Interstate 80.
Both excuses obscure the real motive behind the transit cuts. It is nothing more than an attempt to shift the burden of the economic crisis onto the working class, rather than the capitalists responsible for the recession.
If the interests of poor and working people were prioritized, the local and state government would tax the rich, banks, and corporations. If the federal government wanted to meet human needs, it would help cities and states fund socially useful programs rather than spending money on wars and bailouts.
However, only struggle can improve conditions for the vast majority under capitalism. The vote on the proposal was initially scheduled for Sept. 24, but a spirited demonstration supported by several political and community groups forced the Port Authority to postpone their decision until Nov. 24.
Currently, a coalition of organizations, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, are using this extra time to organize an even greater outpouring of opposition to these ruling-class attacks. Demonstrations are planned for Nov. 20 and the day of the vote. Everyone deserves access to efficient, free public transportation, but as long as the state serves the capitalists, poor and working people need to organize to win and defend this right.
